Jewellery inspiration from Vivienne Westwood

Dame Vivienne Westwood is fashion royalty. Born in 1941 in Cheshire, Westwood first came to style prominence in the 1970s when she is credited with bringing punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.

From there she has gone from strength to strength, achieving world wide success with her Vivienne Westwood label. Westwood has won numerous awards, multiple honorary degrees and, of course, an OBE in 1992. She has also championed political causes including human rights and climate change.

What you may not know is that Westwood started her creative career in jewellery making. She briefly studied silver smithing at the Harrow School of Art, then went on to sell her handmade jewellery at Portobello Market around her day job as a primary school teacher.

In the four decades since, jewellery has always played a role in both Westwood’s personal style and the collections of her Vivienne Westwood label.

So what is it about Westwood’s style that has earned her such a long-standing stint at the helm of British fashion? There’s something purely magical about her unselfconscious mash up of punk fashion with vintage, traditional and flat out flamboyant pieces.

Want to get the look for yourself? Choose bold jewellery with an edge… and experiment with mixing multiple pieces together. For best results opt for jewellery with punk influences, traditional British influences, or preferably both!

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